Hockey Maven Stan Fischler - Go-To Guy For NYC Subway History

Saturday

Sep 14, 2013 at 12:01 AMSep 14, 2013 at 2:11 PM

Stan Fischler has been covering hockey for more than a half century with the passion and understanding few, if any, could match. But, are you aware that when it comes to knowing the intriquicies of the New York City Subway system Fischler is the go-to historian ?

Hockey and the NYC Subway, now there's a combination of fascination and expertise that you don't come across often. Then again, Manhattan resident Fischler isn't just any New Yorker. Fischler is Mr. Hockey ( apologies to Gordie Howe ) for those living in the Tri-State area. Generations of hockey fans have grown up, long before the explosion of cable TV , learning about their favorite teams, be it the Rangers, Islanders, or Devils, from Fischler's writings and broadcast commentary. Emmys have been won, more than 90 books have been written by the Brooklyn College graduate on hockey. Fischler serves as the resident hockey expert for the MSG Networks and his Five For Fischler feature on Hockey Night Live remains a must-see during the NHL season . The same passion for the tunnels, platforms, and lines that make up the NYC Subway system run through Fischler's veins , as when a goal is scored at the World's Most Famous Arena between 31st and 33rd streets.

For Fischler, the love and connection with the subway began very early in his life. " I was three-years old when my mother took me shopping with her in Brooklyn ", Fischler recalls during our telephone conversation. " I noticed about 12 guys digging up the street. They were building the Marcy Avenue subway. From 1935 - 1937 they were in front of our house. We didn't own a car, so we took the subway all the time ".

Fischler,81, who holds a Master's Degree from Long Island University in Education , knows the statistics of current and defunct subway stops and lines at equal speed and accuracy as individual player numbers in record books. There's the Myrtle Avenue Elevated stop that sparks much detailed memories from Fischler. The Myrtle-Wycoff Avenues station presented a 20-minute ride to Manhattan's Union Square station. Then there's the Brighton Line, which began service in 1878 serving Brooklyn ( Flatbush to Coney Island ) that according to Fischler was the best of the BMT line. " I would ride in the front of the subway car, stand on the seat, open the window and look out ", says Fischler, who enjoys daily speed walks along-the-Hudson.

One train trip to Coney Island's Playland as a child with his friend Howie resonates with Fischler immediately. After playing poker games, where he recieved five balls and ended up winning the games and three prizes, Fischler and friend hurried home with their booty. " I wanted to get to the front window before others. I was guarding my prizes that I wanted to give to my mother. I think I won a juice dispenser, a sugar holder, and something else. It was pretty exciting. There were three more stops in Coney Island ", Fischler remembers. The future Lester Patrick Trophy winner ( 2007 ) , presented by the NHL and USA Hockey honors recipients for their contribution to hockey in the United States, held on to his prize bag with the grip of a quaterback, according to Fischler.

Like most children of years back, Fischler moved about the City utilizing the Subway on his own from a very early age. Fischler's earliest recollection of dropping a nickel and seeing the boroughs solo were when he was seven or eight-years old. " I rode the subway a lot with my father. We would take the GG Line to downtown Manhattan. In 1941-1942, I would go to Madison Square Garden on Sunday afternoons to see the New York Rovers hockey games ( Rovers played in the Eastern Hockey League as a farm team of the Rangers ) ", Fischler tells.

By annual ridership, the New York City Subway is the busiest rapid transit rail system in the United States. In 2012 the Subway delivered over 1.65 billion rides. For out-of-towners, I was curious to learn from Fischler what in his view is the biggest misconception of the Subway system. " That the system is unsafe ", Fischler declares. " They don't understand it. The system never goes to sleep ".

On April 12, 2003 the Metropolitan Transit Authority ended all sales of the token. The Metro card became the exclusive currency of New York City straphangers on May 4, 2003. How did a fan of the Subway as Fischler greet the breaking of one tradition for the start of another ? " It was traumatic. For me it went from a nickel, to a dime, then tokens. I got over it but it took a little time ", Fischler confesses. " It ( discontinuing the token ) took away a little fun. Hearing the IRT turnstyle almost sounded musical; like the percussion in a philharmonic. The distinct sound of the token brought about a response for me ".

So, with the Subway historian available, I, like millions of native New Yorkers would appreciate an update on just where the system is going. Fischler believes the New York Subway is reaching its peak now because of technology. When catching a train at his home station at 110th street and Broadway, Fischler, the author of Uptown/Downtown : A Trip Through Time On New York's Subways, welcomes the electronic signs informing he and other riders as to when the next train is due to arrive. " The information delivered today is substantionally more than in the old days. You can't get change or information in a lot of places anymore. They are doing things more efficiently now ", Fischler said.

The Brighton Line returns to Fischler's thoughts on the Subway system. He explains in delight thoughts of decades back when in his usual window position looking out at the New York skyline, as the train came over the Manhattan Bridge, then dipping into the tunnel. The Myrtle Avenue El was like a scenic railway for Fischler. The memories are endless and full of pleasant sub-plots. Fischler's ride through Subway history is equally personal to millions of other train users. Having a storyteller like Fischler to fill in the blanks for them makes him an even more treasured New Yorker.

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